Ready for the
long run

Most runners undertaking a
marathon for the first time just hope to finish.

Joseph Chirlee
will hope to win.

A Kenyan who has run a
62-minute half marathon, Chirlee has confirmed that
he plans to compete in his first 26.2-mile race in Saturday's 30th annual
Rocket City Marathon.

"After talking to him
and his manager, he's primed to run a real good marathon and wanted a flatter
course, which Rocket City is, to debut for his marathon," said Craig
Armstrong, coordinator of invited runners for the Rocket City race.

Chirlee, 26, finished ninth in the
13.1-mile Jefferson Hospital Philadelphia Distance Run earlier this year in 62
minutes, 18 seconds. A rule of thumb for calculating a potential marathon time for an
average runner is to double his half marathon time and add 10 minutes.

That would put Chirlee finishing in 2:14:36, which would threaten the
course record.

"Guys like this are
looking at it like 'OK, I'm ready to take the next level at a very elite
level,' " Armstrong said. "With his
credentials, he's definitely ready to pop a good time.

"He's a definite
contender."

Running in Afghanistan: Approximately 80 military runners
will compete in the Rocket City Marathon/Afghanistan, a satellite race of the Huntsville marathon.

About half of the runners
will attempt a full marathon, with the other half participating as part of two-
or four-runner teams in Salerno,
Afghanistan.

Runners in the full
marathon will complete four laps on a 6.5-mile course, according to an e-mail
from 1st Lt. Sarah C. Destremps, director of the Afghanistan
race.

She said they will hold
their marathon on Saturday, too, but Salerno is
eight hours ahead of Huntsville
time so they should finish before the marathon here begins.

Suzanne Taylor, co-director
of the Rocket City Marathon, said the Huntsville Track Club is supplying the
same T-shirts and hats that will be awarded here to the troops running the Afghanistan
race. There was no fee charged the military runners.

Defending champ not back: Sammy Nyamongo, winner of
the 2005 RocketCity
in 2:23:53, won't defend his title because he's not ready to leave his native Kenya to return to racing in the United States.

Garick Hill, the 2004 champ and runner-up
last year, also isn't entered this year. But his brother, Kevin Hill, 29, of Nashville, is entered
after placing fourth last year.

The fifth-place runner from
2005, Dewayne Miner, 35, of Vestavia Hilles, also is
entered.

Two other Kenyans who will
be serious contenders in the RocketCity will be Benjamin Rangu, 29, who has run a 2:19:55 marathon,
and Jared Yanbokee, 25, who has run 2:23:00.

Top woman: The top women's seed also will be making a marathon debut.

Janet Cherobon,
28, from Norcross, Ga.,
is a former Division II All-American at HardingUniversity.
A native of Kenya,
Cherobon was second among women at this year's
Mercedes-Benz Cotton Row 10K in 34:50.